Reading the manual

[AdamW]

OK, so the majority of people on this board are, by their very nature, the kind of people who read the manual for their new car from cover to cover when they buy it.

But, I thought I should point out a few anecdotal reasons to do this:

1) By reading my manual I managed to increase average fuel economy from 32mpg to 35 mpg through driving in a LOWER gear! Works out to, oooh, £100 a year in saved petrol!

2) My ex had a Peugeot 306 for about 5 years before she met me. She mentioned the rubbish driving position, turned out she didn't know it had an adjustable steering wheel! I found the lever when stopped on the M25 for an hour.

3) On the same car, in the same traffic jam, she mentioned that the stereo was tinny and rubbish. By reading the manual I found how to adjust the bass and treble properly and it sounded pretty good.

4) I found my car had a "ski-hatch", which is great for taking lengths of timber home without folding seats down.

5) My mum had a Fiat Uno some years back, she didn't realise it had a steering lock until I RTFM.

6) Whilst a passenger in the car of a friend of mine, he complained about the idiot behind him driving with mainbeams on. I flicked the rearview mirror dipper, he never realised cars had them!

 

[2scoops0406]

OK, so the majority of people on this board are, by their very nature, the kind of people who read the manual for their new car from cover to cover when they buy it.

Oh dear, that puts me in the minority then, I've never read the manuals of any of my cars But then I am in IT, and I tend to find that most IT'ers seem reluctant to read manuals for some reason. Maybe IT is where the acronym RTFM came from ?

 

[benjiman]

But, I thought I should point out a few anecdotal reasons to do this:

1) By reading my manual I managed to increase average fuel economy from 32mpg to 35 mpg through driving in a LOWER gear! Works out to, oooh, £100 a year in saved petrol!

WTF?! Driving in a lower gear saves fuel?! I thought it was the other way round. Driving in the highest gear possible.

 

[TexMex]

During the fuel problems (due to the industrial action of farmers and hauliers I think) a few years ago, we had a memo circulated at work giving advice allong the following lines.

To conserve fuel we advise all staff to change modify their driving habbits. You should change up a gear earlier than you would do usually. You should also cruise at a speed of 55mph (prevaling speed limits permitting), as this has been proven to be the most economical driving speed"

I then followed this up, pointing out that changing up early can actually INCREASE fuel consumption. Furthermore, the most economical cruising speed is dependant upon the vehicle. Drivers should check the specifications for their own vehicle before acting on this advice. I even produced quite an abundance of performance figures for various cars to proove my point.

The number of arguments that ensued was unbelievable. Funny how once these factoids have become lodged in someones skull, they are totally unmovable. The general consensus was that, the original memo was spot on (since it fitted with thier own preconceptions) and I was talking out of my *rse.

This response came as a particular surprise to me because, until this fiasco, I had a reputation as a reliable source of technical information.

Ah well. You can lead a horse to water.

 

[AdamW]

WTF?! Driving in a lower gear saves fuel?! I thought it was the other way round. Driving in the highest gear possible.

That is exactly what I thought, before reading the manual. I was taught to drive at even 30mph in 4th, sometimes 5th gear.

But if you think about it, just as the engine has peak torque at one rpm, and peak power at another, it makes sense that it will have peak efficiency at a particular speed. It won't be too low, as then the engine is "labouring". It won't be too high, as then the engine will be revving away throwing fuel into the cylinders. As it so happens, "between 2000 and 3000 rpm" is the most efficient band for my engine, and it made a noticable difference. In fact, I used to ride a motorbike where full throttle acceleration would drop noticeable between 52 and 60mph in top, perhaps engineered in to improve the figures or to get it through emissions testing. Anyway, glad Tex believes me

Talking of engine labouring, why is it that some people are apparently allergic to changing gear often enough, so end up slipping the clutch and rattling their exhaust pipe as they try to go 10mph in 3rd gear, yet they don't just go and buy an auto? I was walking in a busy town centre yesterday and a new(ish) people carrier was being tortured in this manner, noisily rattling it's exhaust pipe in protest. Poor thing.

 

[AdamW]

You should change up a gear earlier than you would do usually.

What, so pull away in second, reverse in neutral and try and force it into a non-existant 6th on the motorway?

*CRUNCH*

An old school mate of mine once asked me how I managed to make my car "accelerate so fast"... bear in mind the car I drove then was my mum's 1.2 Clio

When he gave me a lift I realised what his problem was: he had been taught "1st gear up to 10mph, then into 2nd. Into 3rd at 20, 4th at 30 and 5th at 40." So, he would follow this rule, but with his right foot flat to the floor! Wasn't the smoothest of rides I must say.

 

[mildmanneredjanitor]

Never been one for manuals myself,

prefer to just fiddle...

 

[securespark]

RTFM.

Guess this stands for Read the Fiat Manual...............


Anyone remember the IAM coming out with their new thinking on driving and gears a short while back?

Stop in third as all modern cars are quite happy to do 30-40 in 3rd gear. Reasoning was that 4th gear encouraged speeding.

 

[AdamW]

However 3rd gear at 30mph means the engine is right at it's maximum torque and you can get to illegal speeds far more quickly if the mood takes you

As the self-righteous motorist I am, I have pondered doing an IAM course. Anyone recommend them?

 

[securespark]

I have pranged a couple of motors recently, but not my fault. However, I realise that if I alter my attitude to driving I may be able to be more pro-active in collision-avoidance...

Yes, Julie says I have to pass my IAM test soon, or I'm out.

My own definition of an RTA is

"An attempt by one road-user to occupy an area of road space without first ensuring it has been entirely vacated by another road-user."

 

[pipme]

I generally drive 30 MPH limited roads in '3rd' gear.
2000 rpm = 30mph in my case. Find it easier to maintain the speed and not to drift up as in higher gear.
Was on a wide deserted road in Chippenham on Thurs ... grass verges 12 ft wide separate road from pavements ... No parked vehicles ...Just me and a 'small' speed camera van parked on a hill, doors closed persons visible through rear windows .. no one outside, so no day-glo jackets to spot !! I was just undr 2000 rpm 3rd so ok. gave them a lovely smile and slowed to 20 mph just before them.
The van had only small stickers on the sides ref cameras ... But I did notice temporary 'speed camera' notices had been afixed to telegraph poles at both ends of road with plastic ties ... Interesting because they were fixed above head height out of casual reach ... whereas the normal metal ones in the area were at lower level.
Sad waste of time.
P

 

[AdamW]

You know what would be an interesting thing to do, if you find yourself in this situation on the way back from the supermarket:

1) Stop the car
2) Get a beer out of the boot (assuming you bought some) and open it
3) Open the sunroof
4) Put the car in first and let the clutch out so it is rolling along at 5mph
5) Stand on the driver's seat, so you are half out of the sunroof
6) Pretend to be roaring drunk, shouting and swearing, glugging your beer in plain view as you crawl past the van

Now, what would they do? Can they take your details and do you for drink-driving without any medical evidence (i.e. breathalyser)? To play it safe, drink a can of coke instead but still act pi**ed! And make sure your seatbelt is wrapped around you somewhere.

Get someone to film you doing it (but make sure they include the bit showing you are just drinking coke!) and then send it to "The Sun" for an article on "why speed cameras don't work and we need real policemen"

 

[masona]

hmmm, the fat controller John Prescott (who got a gold medal in life saving last week ) is having emergency meeting how to get round this when the pub is shut after 24 hrs opening

 

[pipme]

Yonks ago can remember fitting the redex vacuum gauge connected by poly hose to inlet manifold .. the trick for for max fuel conservation was to keep the reading as high as possible whilst maintaining required progress. ( econogauge etc ) With the old, non sophisticated engines, one could optimally adjust ignition and set up carbs using the vac gauge. was also useful in fault finding.
Example

 

[securespark]

No, Adam, mate, they'll get you on another point of law, like Section 55 subsection C paragraph 11, reads "Thou shalt not act daft while driving a vehicle on a public highway, for example teasing officers of the law by pretending to be intoxicated while driving, at the same time trying to stuff as much of your upper torso through the sunroof as will go."

Seriously. I know some officers that will get you no matter how convoluted the route.